Happy Birthday to Me!

I wanted to just take a moment to express my thanks and gratitude for another year of life! Blessed beyond what I deserve, I thank God for His mercy and grace. My journey thus far, the path of many twists and turns, has been and is all of those things that work together for my good. I declare today that I love the Lord, and have been called according to His purpose!  He is showing me a more excellent way, and I'm trusting Him to lead and guide me until my last day on earth, should He not return before I die.

This morning, my husband prayed over me - a beautiful birthday prayer. All day today, I've experienced an overwhelming peace, and love. Work was stress free - quiet, with a 'holiday weekend' type of atmosphere . I had a song playing in my mind all day... "Sing a song of love, sing it loud and clear/Sing it over the land so that the whole world can hear"... My soul is full and free. I'm the richest person on earth because what I possess, money can't buy. My family is amazing, and they love me unconditionally. I'm blessed beyond my feeble comprehension and so much more than words can convey! 

My dear friend and former Pastor sent me a birthday blessing that nailed it for me. He said:

"May you experience all the happiness and joy that comes with wisdom!"

So you know I'm praying for wisdom each and every day for the duration - because I am excited to see what God has in store - He's already been more than wonderful to me!

Why Prayer?

During my time participating in small group prayer and Bible study ministry before moving to the east coast, I had the opportunity to discover a great deal about how and why couples were not connecting in their marriages. Indeed, my interactions with others in our circle taught me huge lessons and revealed things that I know God meant for me. And these experiences convicted me – I knew I had to share what I’ve been learning. 

The bottom line was simple and startling at once.  Couples were not praying. Couples were not praying together. Couples, who call themselves Christians, who attend church services every weekend without fail – were leaving home every day without first connecting to the Power Source. I repeat: AND they were not doing it together. Homes where the husband was an Elder, or Deacon, where the wife was Youth Ministry Leader or Choir Director… were lacking in this part of their worship experience. How is that possible? I will offer one suggestion in two words: spiritual compartmentalization. Might be a lot of syllables, but it simply means – putting God in a neat little box reserved for certain times and places; home, not being one of those places. Trust and believe, the absence of prayer in the home explains why many marital troubles manifest - and fester.

Sincere couples worship forms a holy shield of protection around us. We will think twice about acting out against a spouse or significant other if we engage in daily prayer – together. The emphasis on praying “together” is more important than many may believe. Some may feel they’re doing just fine praying alone in their prayer closets; and there are times when we should seek the Lord privately. Praying with our mate is essential for both intimacy with God and each other. Praying together strengthens the covenant we have made to one another by God’s grace and power.

Believing couples who consider that they “have it all”, yet do not spend quality time praying together should carefully re-assess their relationship with the Lord, which will undoubtedly provide insights into their relationship with one another. This will mean making an intentional effort to communicate with one another, honestly. I speak from experience, of things in my own life and the lives of others who have shared their stories with me. Marriage goes better with prayer, and the benefits are multiplied exponentially in ways you cannot imagine. Some of you reading already know. So pray. Do it regularly. Do it regularly, together.  

Day 40 - Prayer Alphabet

Boaz Ministries

“Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11: 1

The disciples didn’t ask the Lord to teach them how to preach, or even lead. The Bible records one request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They must have felt there was something powerful about the way Jesus prayed to the Father; and they wanted that special connection.

It’s true that we feel we don’t pray as we should. There is guilt because we’ve neglected to go before the Throne of grace – and sometimes we may feel inadequate in our very speech. We may feel we lack the vocabulary to articulate the things on our hearts to the Lord. That is when we should do as the disciples did – simply ask Jesus to help us. Let their simple request become our modus operandi: “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Remember, the first objective of prayer is praying about what to pray about. And it’s about getting into God’s presence to receive His agenda for us, not the other way around. There’s a story Batterson tells in this final chapter about a grandfather who walked by his granddaughter’s bedroom one night and overheard her praying the alphabet, literally. “Dear God, a, b, c, d, e, f, g…z”. When he asked her why she prayed that way, she said, “I didn’t know what to say so I figured I’d let God put the letters together however He saw fit.”

Finally, if we get stuck, don’t know where to start, let’s go back to the Bible. When we start reading, God will start speaking. We’ll find that words, phrases and promises will jump off the pages and into our spirits. Circle them in prayer. The anointing and favor of God isn’t limited to preachers. It is for everyone. And prayer is the key to all of our endeavors, businesses, practices, plans and dreams.

Day 39 – Holy Ground

 Boaz Ministries

“Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5

We never know when God will invade the routine of our life. There are two places in the Bible when God gives the very curious command: “take off your sandals.” The first time is when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush before the people of Israel were delivered from Egypt; the second was with Joshua, before God delivered Jericho to the Israelites.  Jewish scholars have concluded that God used a burning bush on the backside of a mountain to show that there is no place devoid of God’s presence. It doesn’t matter where we are, God can meet us there.

No one can live off of someone else’s experience. We have to have our own epiphany, our own testimony. And taking off one’s shoes when pressing into the presence of God, is a simple act of humility, removing any obstacle that might block the anointing we wish to receive. Pastor Batterson makes an observation that bears repeating –

“The holy ground wasn’t the Promised Land. It was right where Moses was standing. Don’t wait to worship God until you get to the Promised Land; you’ve got to worship God along the way. This is holy ground. This is a holy moment. Right here. Right now.  Take off your sandals.”

Day 38 – Climb the Watchtower

Boaz Ministries

“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post.” Habakkuk 2:1

In ancient culture, watchtowers served several purposes as defense systems of a city– as built-in pastures for protection against wild animals, as built-in vineyards for protection against thieves. Watchmen were the first to see, and they saw the farthest. It is the same way with people who pray.

Prayer provides a unique vantage point, and intercessors are spiritual watchmen and watchwomen.

Returning to places of spiritual significance is an important part of our prayer rhythm. Going back to the scene of the miracle God wrought in our lives is a powerful experience. When we’ve gained a victory, or witnessed the mighty moving of God’s hand after rising from our knees – it’s impossible to forget. This is why the Israelites built memorials – and during seasons of repentance, they would often return to renew their covenants with God.

While there is nothing magical about circling something in prayer, it is biblical. Sometimes, we have to mark God’s territory. As Pastor Batterson says,“We have to pray a perimeter around a promise God has put in our heart. We have to be willing to go in and not come out until God answers!” Amen.

Day 37 – Prayer Contracts

Boaz Ministries

“Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.” Matthew 18:18

One simple truth and the running theme throughout Batterson’s book, “Draw the Circle”, is that the purpose of prayer is to discern what God wants, what He wills, not to merely get what we want. If our prayer is in the will of God, then it is backed by the full authority of the King and His Kingdom.

Another important point about prayer is that many of us tend to view the goal as the goal, but in God’s economy, as Batterson explains, the process is the goal. It’s not about what we’re doing, it’s about who we’re becoming in the process. “It’s not about doing great things for God; it’s about God doing great things in us.”

In Matthew 18:18, Jesus explains the binding nature of our prayers. He goes on to explain the power of prayer circles in verses 19 and 20: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

The prayer circle concept is a double entendre – first, referring to specific things we are circling in prayer. And when two or three agree in prayer, they form a prayer circle around the prayer circle! Something powerful happens when we agree in prayer – our faith is multiplied! When we pray in the will of God and for the glory of God, agreeing with someone in prayer is like getting our prayer notarized.

Finally, our most powerful prayers are chained to the promises of God. This means we should pray the Word of God, not just our words all the time. Praying the Word of God is essential because we know that His Word does not return to Him void. Let us chain His Word to our minds through memorization; to our hearts through meditation. Bind His Word to our past, present and future through prayer.

Day 36 – Senior Partner

Boaz Ministries

“Store up for yourselves, treasures in heaven.” Matthew 6:20

In this chapter, Batterson recounts stories of people who exhibited incredible faith in God.  One of them, Stanley Tam, made an unheard of move and legally transferred 51% of his business to God, his Senior Partner. He did this at a time when his annual revenues were less than $200,000 – and he became a salaried employee of the company he had started. That was in 1955, and since making that defining decision, he has given away more than $120 million! Tam spoke at Pastor Batternson’s church a few years ago, and shared godly wisdom: he discovered the key that unlocks the joy of generosity, for what we keep we ultimately lose; what we give away we ultimate get back. “I just send it ahead by giving it away…God cannot reward Abraham yet because his seed is still multiplying.” We can’t know nor can we calculate Tam’s reward in heaven. The same is true of us.

We often make the mistake of thinking that those who lived in biblical history or history in general were somehow different from us. But that’s not so. If God did it for them, He can do it for us. When we take God at His word, God stands by His word, and if we do what they did in the Bible, God will do what He did.

The greatest legacy we can leave is a life completely surrendered to the lordship of Christ. Holding on to God ensures He will hold on to us, for as David says in Psalm 84:11, “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” These good things will pass from generation to generation and become great things! God will answer our prayers in the lives of children’s children we won’t meet until the great family reunion at the marriage supper of the Lamb!

“Every prayer we pray, every gift we give, and every step of faith we take is an inheritance left to the next generation. And our prayers live on, long after we die, in their lives.” Pastor Batterson’s words here are confirmation and very precious for me; flesh and blood did not reveal that truth to him! Amen.

Day 35 – The Longest Lever

Boaz Ministries

“Do not despise these small beginnings.” Zechariah 4:10

Read Zechariah 4. It’s about the Jewish remnant who went back to Israel and are about to rebuild the temple – and it’s an overwhelming task. The Lord encourages them in verse 10: “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” The plumb line was an ancient measuring tape, and all they had done at that point was take measurements! If we do the small things, God will do the big things – but we have to do the small things like they are big things!

Prayer is our plumb line and the true measure of a person.  No one is greater than their prayer life. And there is no leverage like kneeling in prayer.  In the kingdom of God, humility equals authority.  Our lever is bold humility or humble boldness. If we try to exalt ourselves, God will humble us. But if we humble ourselves, God will indeed exalt us.

Let’s hit our knees in humble prayer, and watch God  extend His mighty hand on our behalf. He will leverage us in ways that are humanly impossible!